Thursday, October 06, 2005

Of all people - managers, directors, presidents and CEO's are the ones who need to be approachable; both to their customers AND employees. So, it absolutely made my day when I walked into my hotel room and saw this:

It was a welcome note with the General Manager's business card in it!

You can't get more approachable than this. It was like the GM was saying, "Howdy! Welcome to my hotel. My name's Tom - and I'm in charge here. So, if there's anything you need, drop me a line. Seriously, here's my card! Call me any time."

Do all hotels do this? Do ANY hotels do this? Do any businesses do this?

I think they should. Seriously, how great would it be if every company went out of their way to make an approachable connection between The Big Cheese and The Customer?

Just imagine...

*Buying your new Ipod Nano...and getting a business card from Steve Jobs. And guess what? He'd love for you to drop him an email and tell him how amazing it sounds.

*Receiving your brand new Air Jordans in the mail...along with a business card from Phil Knight. What the heck? Ring him and let him know how you schooled all your friends at the park with your new shoes.

*Finishing your sandwich from Subway...and reaching into the bag to find a card from Fred DeLuca. That's right. He wants to hear from YOU, a customer who just ate a delicious lunch for under 7 bucks and under 7 grams of fat.

The days of the Spacely Sprocket-esque CEO are over. Isolated is out, approachable is in. So, whether you're a manager, director, CEO, president or owner, you've got to find a way to PERSONALLY welcome customers onto your front porch. After all, that's what makes them 1) want to come back, and 2) tell their friends.